In related art, caregiving beds have the function of raising and lowering the bed part on which a care-receiver lies. Raising and lowering the bed part enables the care-receiver to easily move between the bed and a wheelchair. A lowered position of the bed while the care-receiver is in the bed makes the care-receiver feel easy. Raising the bed when a caregiver provides care enables the caregiver to easily provide care.
In care for care-receivers, in particular, bedridden care-receivers due to great age or physical disability, caregivers dispose excrement of the care-receivers and bathe or help them take a shower. When care-receivers are cared for at home, in many cases the care-givers are family members of the care-receivers, such as a spouse and a relative. In recent years, aged people of a similar age to care-receivers provide care in an increasing ratio, and a care-giver has to provide care by him/herself in increasing cases. Thus, care such as excrement disposal and bathing for care-receivers requires heavy labor, and imposes much mental and physical fatigue and stress on not only care-receivers but also caregivers.
In view of the actual circumstances of care as described above, there are cases where the nation establishes a nursing care insurance system, or care service providers such as private care helpers assist care-givers. However, nursing care insurance systems have limits to their application, and requesting care service providers for help requires high cost.
To assist such caregivers, Patent Literature 1 as follows discloses an invention relating to a caregiving bed that can be used as a bathtub and a toilet, and is suitable for people requiring care. The caregiving bed has a structure in which side walls are vertically rotatably disposed in peripheral edge portions of a base, an upper surface of the base including the side walls is covered with a waterproof sheet, a drooping portion of the waterproof sheet drooping down from the base is attached to the side walls, an excretion hole extending from an upper surface of the waterproof sheet to a part under the base is formed, and a lid is detachably attached to the excretion hole. With the caregiving bed disclosed in Patent Literature 1, when the side walls are turned upward and fixed, the drooping portion of the waterproof sheet is raised together with the side walls above the base to form a dam. This structure enables bathing by supplying hot water to the part surrounded by the dam, enables excretion by removing the lid from the excretion hole, and thus enables various types of care without moving the care-receiver from the bed. Thus, the caregiving bed imposes less burden on both the care-receiver and the caregiver.
Patent Literature 2 as follows discloses an invention of a versatile bed for a person sick in bed that enables excretion of excrement and bathing using the bed. With this bed, an excretion hole for excrement is made in a central portion of a drainboard-like mat and a support board, and a blowing port of a supply tube for blowing out washing water and drying warm air is attached to an upper surface of an excrement receiver disposed on a lower surface of the support board. This structure enables the person lying in the bed to excrete in a lying position without sitting up in the bed, and enables washing thereafter. The bed with the above structure enables sanitary disposal such as washing and drying even for severely handicapped people or seriously ill people. In addition, when the support board is removed after supplying hot water into the bath set, it is possible to directly bathe the person ill in the bed in a state of lying on the drainboard-like mat.